The Windy City. The Second City. Chi-Town. The Third Coast. There are many nicknames for Chicago, but I always think of it as my kind of town. I am biased, of course; Chicago is one of two hometowns I claim, having lived there for most of the first ten years of my life. I still travel there frequently to visit family, and it remains, hands down, one of my absolute favorite places. There is a distinct pulse to the city that I can feel the moment I land at Midway or O’Hare. Wha

Whoever said, “You can’t buy happiness, but you can go to Vegas and that’s kind of the same thing,” definitely knew a thing or two. People’s opinions on Las Vegas tend to swing like a wild pendulum. For me, Vegas is a chameleon; it can transform into absolutely anything you want it to be, depending entirely on your mood. Personally, my trips have always left me feeling a tiger or two short of a Hangover-style wild night—and honestly, that’s perfectly fine by me. There was a

Don’t know where you are going? You may want to look at an updated map of the Las Vegas Strip so that you can get your bearings. The easiest way to break up the Las Vegas Strip is into North and South sections, using Flamingo Road as the central dividing line. Every area of the Strip offers its own distinct set of pros and cons. The southern end is closer to the airport and provides convenient access along the western side of the street to the free Westcliff and MGM trams